Egypt explained: 6 key questions

By CNN Staff

Updated 2041 GMT (0341 HKT) August 4, 2013

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Unrest in Egypt – A bus passes a destroyed pickup truck with loudspeakers that was used by supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy on Friday, August 2. The supporters and security forces clashed in Sixth of October City in Giza, south of Cairo, after the government ordered their protest camps be broken up. Look at the latest violence in Egypt.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters walk past makeshift roadblocks at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in Cairo on Saturday, August 3. Security forces set up the roadblocks outside the square, allowing people to leave but not enter, as they attempt to break up camps set up during ongoing protests over Morsy's ouster.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters run among the smoke and fire resulting from clashes with security forces in Sixth of October City in Giza on August 2. The military ousted Morsy, Egypt's first democratically elected president, in early July after days of mass demonstrations. Dozens of Morsy backers angry at Egypt's military-backed government have died in weekend violence in the volatile nation's capital. See photos of protests that have engulfed the country.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptian riot police block the entrance to Sixth of October City in Giza on August 2 following clashes with Morsy supporters.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters in red helmets march during a protest against the government in Cairo on August 2. Pro-Morsy marches began after Friday prayers, when supporters made their way back to their camp outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters march in a demonstration against the Egyptian government in Cairo on August 2.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of Egypt's deposed President Mohammed Morsy gather for prayers at Nasr City, where protesters have installed a camp and hold daily rallies, in Cairo, on Sunday, July 28.

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Unrest in Egypt – A boy wears a tear gas mask as supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsy pray at the camp set up by supporters in the Nasr City area of Cairo on July 28.

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Unrest in Egypt – Doctors treat an injured supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy during clashes with security forces in Cairo on Saturday, July 27.

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Unrest in Egypt – A wounded Morsy supporter lies on the floor of a field hospital in Cairo on July 27. Thousands of Morsy supporters gathered Saturday in the Nasr City neighborhood despite dozens of deaths the night before and veiled threats from the military.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of Morsy protest outside a field hospital in Cairo where the bodies of slain Morsy supporters have been brought July 27.

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Unrest in Egypt – The body of a Muslim Brotherhood protester, reportedly shot dead after violence erupted the night before, is moved as mourners watch inside a field hospital in Cairo on July 27.

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Unrest in Egypt – Two men mourn Morsy supporters who were killed in overnight clashes with security forces, in Cairo, on July 27.

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Unrest in Egypt – A medic pauses at a field hospital in Cairo on July 27 after tending to the bodies of Morsy supporters reportedly killed in fighting.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of Morsy carry an injured man to a field hospital amid clashes with security forces in Cairo on July 27.

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Unrest in Egypt – Doctors treat a Morsy supporter injured during clashes with security forces in Cairo on July 27.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of Morsy rally in Giza, on Friday, July 26.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of the Egyptian military rally at Tahrir Square in Cairo on Friday, July 26.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy opponents rally in Cairo on July 26.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy opponents watch a demonstration from a rooftop near Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 26.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptian soldiers stand guard atop an armored vehicle on a bridge leading to Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, July 26.

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Unrest in Egypt – A Morsy advocate builds a giant portrait of the deposed president Thursday, July 25, while other supporters hold a sit-in outside a Cairo mosque. The military has detained Morsy while an interim government takes shape.

Unrest in Egypt – A man with a pistol and other Morsy opponents detain a suspected Morsy supporter who was wounded during clashes in Cairo on Monday, July 22. Supporters and opponents clashed near the city's Tahrir Square.

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Unrest in Egypt – Men evacuate an injured opponent of Morsy during clashes with his supporters in Cairo on July 22.

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Unrest in Egypt – A man fires a gun during clashes between opponents and supporters of Morsy in Cairo on July 22.

Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters run from tear gas in Cairo on July 15.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptians in Cairo's Tahrir Square pray before breaking their fast on the third day of Ramadan, the sacred holy month for Muslims, on Friday, July 12.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of the deposed Morsy rally in Nasr City, Egypt, a suburb of Cairo, on Monday, July 8.

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Unrest in Egypt – A man reacts after seeing the body of a family member at the Liltaqmeen al-Sahy Hospital in Cairo, allegedly killed during a sit-in supporting Morsy in front of the Republican Guard headquarters on July 8.

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Unrest in Egypt – Injured men receive medical attention after clashes between supporters of Morsy and security forces in Cairo on July 8.

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Unrest in Egypt – Opponents of Mohamed Morsy gather at Tahrir Square during a protest in Cairo on Sunday, July 7.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters of Morsy pray next to the headquarters of the Republican Guards in Cairo on Saturday, July 6, during the funeral of seven people killed during clashes.

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Unrest in Egypt – People carry coffins on July 6 of two Morsy opponents who were killed during clashes in Cairo.

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Unrest in Egypt – A Morsy supporter joins protests near the University of Cairo in Giza on July 6.

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Unrest in Egypt – Supporters and opponents of Morsy clash in Cairo on Friday, July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – A protester is attended to in Cairo's Tahrir Square during fighting between the pro- and anti-Morsy crowds on July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – An Egyptian military helicopter hovers over supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and deposed President Mohamed Morsy in Cairo on July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters hold up their bloodstained hands after Egypt's armed forces opened fire on rally in front of the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters carry a man who was shot during clashes next to the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo on July 5. State broadcaster Nile TV said a number of those backing the deposed leader were wounded as they tried to storm the headquarters, where Morsy reportedly was being held.

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Unrest in Egypt – A wounded man is helped following the gun battle outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5.

Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters react to an explosion during clashes with police officers on July 5 outside Cairo University in Giza.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptian Army soldiers stand guard at the Cairo headquarters of the Republican Guard on July 5 as an Apache attack helicopter flies overhead.

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Unrest in Egypt – Morsy supporters pray near the University of Cairo in Giza on July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – A man prays on July 5 before the protest near the University of Cairo.

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Unrest in Egypt – Protesters take cover from tear gas during clashes outside the headquarters of the Republican Guard in Cairo on July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – A military helicopter flies by Egypt's Presidential Palace in Cairo on July 5.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptians watch fireworks in Tahrir Square on Thursday, July 4, the day after Morsy's ouster.

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Unrest in Egypt – People dance and cheer in the streets of Cairo on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – A Morsy supporter holds a poster of the deposed president during a July 4 rally in Nasr City.

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Unrest in Egypt – A massive crowd gathers in Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptians cheer and wave national flags as airplanes fly above Tahrir Square on July 4, leaving a trail of smoke in the colors of the national flag.

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Unrest in Egypt – A woman uses a mobile phone to record the July 4 celebrations in Tahrir Square.

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Unrest in Egypt – An opposition protester chants slogans against Morsy near Cairo University, where Muslim Brotherhood supporters gathered on July 4 to show support for the ousted president.

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Unrest in Egypt – A man holds a newspaper near Mesaha Square in Cairo on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – Dejected Morsy supporters attend a rally in Nasr City on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – A Morsy supporter shows his bloodied shirt during a July 4 rally near the University of Cairo.

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Unrest in Egypt – A young Egyptian boy shoots off fireworks during celebrations in Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – People walk by a pile of Egyptian flags for sale in Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – Crowds throng Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – Egyptian soldiers deploy near Cairo University on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – People dance and cheer at Tahrir Square in Cairo on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – Adly Mansour, center, stands after delivering a speech during his swearing-in ceremony as Egypt's interim president in the Supreme Constitutional Court in Cairo on July 4. Mansour has served as the head of the country's Supreme Constitutional Court.

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Unrest in Egypt – Armored vehicles with the Egyptian army sit at a checkpoint in the Cairo district of Nasr City on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – A Morsy supporter reacts as a military helicopter flies over during a July 4 rally in Nasr City.

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Unrest in Egypt – A boy with face paint the color of the Egyptian flag pauses on July 4 in Tahrir Square.

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Unrest in Egypt – A pedestrian shakes hands with a member of the military at a roadblock in Giza.

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Unrest in Egypt – Security personnel rest on July 4 in Tahrir Square.

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Unrest in Egypt – A man walks to Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – A family sleeps on a bridge near Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – A member of the Egyptian military redirects traffic on July 4 at a roadblock in Giza.

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Unrest in Egypt – Bread is sold near Tahrir Square on July 4.

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Unrest in Egypt – An Egyptian military member guards a roadblock in Giza on July 4.

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Story highlights

Egypt is divided over the military's removal of President Mohamed Morsy last month

There have been violent clashes between protesters and Egyptian security officials

Hundreds have been killed and thousands have been injured in recent weeks, either in clashes between opposing protesters or in clashes between protesters and Egyptian security forces.

As the military worked Wednesday to clear two massive makeshift Morsy camps, fires burned and tear gas flew. And while displaced protesters moved to regroup, there were fears that the violence would only get worse.

How did Egypt get to this point? Where does it go from here? Let's hit the reset button.

But a year into Morsy's term, many Egyptians wanted him out, too. They said the Western-educated Islamist, aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, had been anything but inclusive since he took office, and they said he had failed to deliver on the people's aspirations for freedom and social justice.

Just Watched

Cairo's tent city

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Threat of crackdown looms over Egypt

Morsy was accused of authoritarianism and trying to force the Brotherhood's Islamic agenda onto the nation's laws. He was also criticized by many Egyptians frustrated with rampant crime and a struggling economy that hadn't shown improvement since Mubarak resigned.

And there is a widely held view among analysts that remnants of the Mubarak regime and powerful elements within the Interior Ministry and judiciary never supported Morsy's presidency and may have conspired to undermine him. They say the frequent absence of police in the streets until after his overthrow is one example, and the judiciary's dissolution of the lower house of parliament last year is another.

Supporters also point out that Morsy and Egypt's leading Islamist factions had a democratic mandate after winning five elections since 2011, and that initially only a quarter of his Cabinet members represented the Muslim Brotherhood or its allies, a proportion that later grew to roughly one-third.

Nonetheless, large-scale protests began on June 30, the first anniversary of Morsy's election. Egypt's influential military gave Morsy an ultimatum: Meet the demands of the people, or we'll step in.

When a 48-hour deadline passed, the military arrested Morsy, completing the coup. But those who celebrated Morsy's removal don't see it as a coup. They call it a correction, a continuation of the revolution that began with Mubarak's resignation in 2011.

2. Where is Morsy now?

Morsy is being held at an undisclosed military facility, facing a variety of criminal charges. He has not been seen publicly since his removal, although he has met with an African Union delegation as well as Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief.

Morsy is being held in relation to a jailbreak that took place during Egypt's 2011 revolution -- well before he came to power, state media reported. Prosecutors have said the escape of Morsy and 18 other Muslim Brotherhood members, among others, was plotted by "foreign elements" including Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian Army and Hezbollah. The Muslim Brotherhood was named as a domestic group that cooperated with those who broke them out of prison.

Morsy is accused of escaping, destroying the prison's official records and intentionally killing and abducting police officers and prisoners.

Some of Morsy's allies have also been jailed since the coup. Leading members of the Freedom and Justice Party -- the Brotherhood's political arm -- were arrested on charges that party officials say are illegal and politically motivated.

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Egyptians fear more bloodshed to come

Since Morsy's ouster, supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom and Justice Party have staged mass rallies and sit-ins across Egypt.

There have also been rival rallies to support the army's effort to remove Morsy.

Muslim Brotherhood officials said on the group's website that they will continue protesting until Morsy is put back in office. They say Morsy's removal is an illegitimate coup and they refuse to accept its validity. They refuse to recognize the interim government or cooperate with it.

Muslim Brotherhood spokeswoman Mona al Qazzaz accused the military and opposition of "killing the biggest democracy in the Middle East."

"The military stepped in, and the opposition that failed to win through the ballot boxes came on the back of the tanks," she said last month.

Yet many activists, such as June 30 Front spokesman Ahmed Hawary, said Morsy left the military little choice but to intervene. Yes, Morsy was democratically elected, but he didn't give those opposed to him any way to check and challenge what he was doing, according to Hawary.

"Democracy is due political process," Hawary said. "But there has never been a due political process (under Morsy)."

Tensions grew Wednesday as Egyptian security forces moved on two massive makeshift camps that supporters of Morsy had set up, bulldozing tents and escorting away hundreds of protesters.

Within three hours of the raid, forces had cleared the smaller of the two camps -- the Nahda camp, near the Cairo University campus.

But the larger -- near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in eastern Cairo -- has proven trickier, with forces facing heavy resistance. The military called in its special forces.

"To avoid another bloodbath, Egypt's civilian rulers need to ensure the ongoing right of protesters to assemble peacefully, and seek alternatives to a forcible dispersal of the crowds," said Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.

4. Who's in charge?

Since taking power from Morsy, Egypt's military has installed an interim civilian government with Adly Mansour as interim president. Mansour is a 67-year-old judge who heads the country's Supreme Constitutional Court. Days after he was sworn in, he issued a decree that gave himself some legislative power and outlined a path toward new elections.

Egypt's interim vice president is prominent Egyptian reformist Mohamed ElBaradei, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work as director general of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency.

But Egypt's generals, the ones who oversaw Morsy's ouster and led the country for a year after Mubarak's resignation, still wield significant power.

For instance, it was Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the country's defense minister, who recently called for mass protests in support of the military, not the president. Al-Sisi asked supporters to provide a "referendum to take firm action against violence and terrorism."

5. Where does the United States stand?

The United States has been reluctant to choose sides in Egypt's political standoff, with President Obama and U.S. officials stressing that the main priority is minimizing violence and ensuring inclusiveness in the political process.

However, when he was asked Thursday why the U.S. wasn't "taking a clear position" on Morsy being deposed, Secretary of State John Kerry replied, "The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of a descendance into chaos, into violence.

"And the military did not take over, to the best of our judgment so -- so far. To run the country, there's a civilian government," he said. "In effect, they were restoring democracy."

Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Gehad El-Haddad denounced Kerry's words and accused the Obama administration of being "complicit in the military coup."

"Is it the job of the army to restore democracy?" he asked.

Egypt has long been a close ally of the United States. The country gets $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid.

But if the U.S. formally labels Morsy's removal as a coup, it would have to cut off that aid, and that "would limit our ability to have the kind of relationship we think we need with the Egyptian armed forces," said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In the last 30 years, only Israel has received more aid than Egypt from the United States.

The United States helps Egypt because it's one of only two Arab countries -- along with Jordan -- that made peace with Israel. If Washington pulls its aid, it could affect prospects for peace in the Middle East.

"All of these things are tied together," CNN's Fareed Zakaria said. "The aid is tied to Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. So if our aid gets cut off, what happens to the peace treaty with Israel? It's a hornets' nest, and that's why the administration is trying not to stir it too much."

6. What might the future hold?

Aside from the immediate fears of violence, many are concerned about what Morsy's removal could mean for democracy in the region.

"What are you going to tell Islamists: that democracy is for everybody except them?" Amanpour asked.

All eyes will be on the Muslim Brotherhood. Once the nation's dominant political force, will it become a part of the new government or go back to being a thorn in the side of the Egyptian army?

"Despite the fact that many people are fantasizing that this is the end of the Islamist movement," the country will continue to "have to deal with the Brotherhood either as a political movement or underground movement," CNN's Ben Wedeman said.

And in a country grappling with poverty and unemployment, any new government needs to work quickly if it wants to maintain power.

If the situation worsens, "people may rise up because the price of bread is too high and they just can't feed their families," Wedeman said. "If that happens, it's utter chaos -- back to 1977 and the bread riots in Cairo. ... That's the gut worry of everyone."

Kerry recently called this a "pivotal moment for Egypt."

"Over two years ago, the revolution began," he said in a statement last month. "Its final verdict is not decided, but it will be forever impacted by what happens now."